Dear ______,

When I wrote to you earlier this week, it was with the slimmest of hopes that Governor Rauners
recent pronouncements about the importance of compromise to end the state budget crisis might
actually have been made with a modicum of sincerity.
I thought that if he had finally come to see how his stubborn refusal to work toward a solution to the
states fiscal woes was harming citizens all across Illinois, then perhaps he might also finally have
realized how counterproductive it has been to take the same my way or the highway approach with
his own employeesthe thousands of dedicated public servants who protect children from abuse,
monitor air and water quality, respond to natural disasters, care for aged veterans, and so much
more.
It was based on that hope that your AFSCME Bargaining Committee took the unprecedented
step of publicly putting forward a new Settlement Framework that significantly modified the
unions previous positions on core economic issues. After an entire year in which the governor
refused to come to the bargaining table and work to reach a fair contract settlement, the Committee
wanted to concretely demonstrate that AFSCME members are prepared to do all we can to avert the
disruption that would be caused by a statewide strike.
You can click here to read AFSCMEs letter to the governor which outlines the new Settlement
Framework.
Unfortunately, we quickly learned just how insincere the governors professed belief in
compromise really is. Within hours of receiving the unions letter regarding the new framework,

the governors office put out a press statement completely dismissing the new terms as superficial
andas is their usual patternwildly exaggerating the potential cost to the state.
This kind of blatant misrepresentation of the facts is a clear indication that the governor has not a
rational or ethical leg to stand on in the war he is waging on his own employees.
Anyone with eyes to see can grasp that a settlement framework based on employees getting no
base wage increase for four yearsand paying more for their health insurancerepresents real
sacrifice. The decision to put such a framework forward was not one that the Bargaining Committee
made lightly because Committee members are keenly aware that it could entail real financial
difficulties for some employeesespecially those who are lower-paid or more recently hired.
But, rather than recognizing that sacrifice and taking up the opportunity to chart a new
course, the governor is refusing to make any compromise whatsoever. He remains determined
to eradicate union rights, to make employees pay 100% more for their health insurance, to freeze
wage increases and step movement for four years, and to have unrestricted ability to privatize state
services.
Thats why it is clear that the time has now come to move forward with a Strike Authorization
Vote. This vote will let every AFSCME member determine whether or not to resist Rauners assaults
or to allow him to impose his own harsh terms on employees. The voting will take place in each local
union on dates set between January 30 February 19. Specific information regarding voting
locations and procedures in your local will be coming soon.
You will be voting on whether to give your AFSCME Bargaining Committee the authority to
call a strike. If a majority vote yes, that does not necessarily mean there will be a strikeas the
Committee will continue to do everything possible to reach a fair settlement. But it does mean that if
all such efforts fail, you will be prepared to go out on strike when the Committee issues the call.
This is a choice that no responsible person would seek or savor. Yet we have a governor of our state
who has continuously pushed to reach this junctureto undermine employees economic security
and job rights or to shut down the state and deny citizens the services they need.
Over the coming months, we will be called on to take our commitment to public service ever
deeper, to build on the support shown by our communities, and to send a powerful message
that no government can truly serve its citizens by trampling on the employees who provide
those services.

In Unity,
Roberta Lynch
Executive Director

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